“One Pole and one Chinese have been detained under the accusation of espionage. The man from China is a businessman working in one of the large electronic producers,” Maciej Wąsik, the deputy secret services coordinator said. “The Pole is a person known in circles associated with issues of cyber-business,’ he added.

Mr W. was one of the directors of the Polish department of Chinese Huawei telecommunication company. Mr. D. is the former high-ranked officer of ABW. Recently, he worked for the Orange telecommunication operator.

In the opinion of the official, this is a big success of ABW. “The investigation has been conducted for some time,” Mr Wąsik said.

According to unofficial reports of Polish TVP Info, ABW has also raided the premises of Orange, Huawei, as well as the Office of Electronic Communication (UKE).

On Thursday evening, the Court in Warsaw decided to temporarily arrest both detained for three months. According to unofficial sources, they have pled not guilty and refused to testify.

If found guilty, both men are facing ten years in prison.

Chinese response

In response to a Reuters agency query about the reports concerning detaining Mr W., China's Foreign Ministry urged the "relevant country" to ensure the legitimate rights of individual involved and to handle the case "justly" and in accordance with law.

Chinese side said on Friday that it was "greatly concerned" about taking Mr W into custody.